Is Luis Campusano part of the Padres’ future? President of baseball operations A.J. Preller says he’s. “He’s going to be in our combine subsequent 12 months, for certain,” Preller stated final month, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’m hoping his experiences this 12 months are going to assist him total as a participant.”
These phrases don’t align with the membership’s actions, as they haven’t proven a lot religion in him. Campusano was a high 100 prospect a number of years in the past. He obtained cups of espresso from 2020 to 2022, by no means topping 16 video games performed in any of these seasons. He was known as up late in 2020 and didn’t use an choice that 12 months, however he burned two of his three choices within the following seasons.
In 2023, he was up with the massive league membership all 12 months however spent plenty of time on the injured listing. He was solely wholesome sufficient to play in 49 video games however put up an enormous .319/.356/.491 line and 133 wRC+ in that pattern. His defensive grades weren’t nice however that offense was definitely engaging. His .331 batting common on balls in play was on the excessive aspect however he additionally had a small 12.1% strikeout fee, which means he put the ball in play rather a lot.
The next season was a disappointment, nevertheless. He obtained into 91 video games, his greatest pattern of huge league work up to now. His batted ball luck flipped the opposite method, as his BABIP dropped to .240. That wasn’t simply luck as his common exit velocity, barrel fee and arduous hit fee all dropped in comparison with the prior season. He completed the 12 months with a .227/.281/.361 line and 83 wRC+. That sort of offense would have been satisfactory for a glove-first backstop however Campusano was not that. He had a fielding run worth of minus-13 and was additionally credited with minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved, making him one of many worst defensive catchers within the majors that 12 months.
That efficiency understandably led to a discount in taking part in time however he stayed on the roster for some time as Kyle Higashioka and Elias Díaz dealt with the catching duties. The Padres optioned Campusano to the minors on September eleventh, which was seemingly not a coincidence. A participant doesn’t burn an choice 12 months except he spends a minimum of 20 days on non-obligatory task. When the Friars despatched Campusano down final 12 months, there have been 19 days left on the schedule.
That left Campusano nonetheless with one choice remaining going into 2025 they usually appeared decided to make use of it. They re-signed Díaz and in addition signed Martín Maldonado to be the catchers on the huge league stage. Campusano was optioned to the minors to start out the 12 months.
Seemingly, the plan was for Campusano to be honing his craft with Triple-A El Paso however the Padres additionally made some curious selections in that context. He was recalled in early Might because the Padres had some accidents, to not any of their catchers, however he was optioned again down three days later. He was recalled once more in late Might and was up with the membership for 3 weeks however solely obtained into six video games with 14 plate appearances earlier than getting optioned again down in the course of June. He was recalled once more for a few days in July when Gavin Sheets went on the paternity listing, getting optioned again down a few days later.
Forward of the deadline, the Padres acquired Freddy Fermin from the Royals. Maldonado was designated for task, leaving the Friars with Fermin and Díaz for the stretch run. They re-signed Maldonado to a minor league deal on the finish of August. On the finish of September, Díaz gave the impression to be banged up with an indirect harm and he was excluded from the membership’s Wild Card roster. Campusano was known as up however the membership additionally chosen Maldonado again to the roster, giving them three backstops for his or her sequence in opposition to the Cubs. Fermin obtained all of the taking part in time behind the plate in that sequence.
All of this occurred whereas Campusano crushed Triple-A pitching in 2025. He was aided by a .370 BABIP however his 15.2% stroll fee and 17.3% strikeout fee had been each nice figures. He hit 25 dwelling runs in 475 plate appearances. Even within the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, his .336/.441/.595 line translated to a 148 wRC+.
Regardless of these monstrous numbers, the Padres largely saved him in El Paso. Once they did name him up, he hardly performed. They didn’t put him behind the plate within the huge leagues at any level this 12 months. They saved rolling with Díaz, Fermin and Maldonado regardless of none of these three guys hitting. Maldonado, in truth, has been one of many worst hitters within the majors all through a lot of his profession.
Each Díaz and Maldonado reached free company on the finish of the 2025 season, with Maldonado saying his retirement shortly thereafter. That leaves Fermin and Campusano as the 2 catchers on the 40-man roster. Ethan Salas is likely one of the membership’s high prospects however he’s solely 19 years previous and has barely performed above Excessive-A. He could be the future however a promotion in 2026 could be formidable.
Campusano is now 27 years previous and out of choices, which means he can’t be simply despatched right down to El Paso any longer. He really certified for arbitration a 12 months in the past as a Tremendous Two participant, so the Friars paid him $1MM in 2025. Since he hardly performed within the majors this 12 months, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz tasks him to make the identical wage in 2026. Friday is the non-tender deadline, giving the Padres a number of extra days to determine whether or not or to not tender him a contract once more.
The Padres clearly didn’t belief Campusano to be an enormous league catcher in 2025. They didn’t put him again there at any level and opted for light-hitting veterans as a substitute. They presumably had been nonetheless hoping to make him a long-term catcher, as they performed him there in Triple-A, together with a while at first base. Nonetheless, additionally they interrupted his Triple-A routine with sporadic call-ups that featured little taking part in time. In the event that they had been dedicated to having him maximize his glovework in 2025, then these recollects stand out as odd decisions.
If Campusano does survive the winter and comes into camp with the Padres in 2026, is he the backup catcher? If he’s going to be extra within the first base/DH combine, they in all probability would want so as to add a veteran backstop, which is lower than ideally suited roster building. Additionally, even veterans with out a lot upside price a number of million. They needed to give Díaz a $3.5MM assure final offseason, as an illustration. That’s not a lot in baseball phrases but it surely’s notable for a membership with ongoing payroll issues.
There’s an argument for buying and selling Campusano. A rebuilding membership with no clear answer behind the plate, such because the Nationals or Twins, might take him on. A type of golf equipment might let Campusano have some run on the catcher place to see what occurs. Nonetheless, they’re unlikely to surrender a lot for a such a flier.
The Padres might tender Campusano a contract after which attempt to run him by way of waivers. Since he has a minimum of three years of service time, he has the best to reject outright assignments in favor of electing free company. Nonetheless, since he has lower than 5 years of service, he must stroll away from his remaining wage commitments in an effort to train that proper. Within the situation the place he has been tendered a contract and is slated to make about $1MM in 2026, he would presumably settle for, permitting the Padres to maintain him as non-roster depth. Nonetheless, given his monitor file and three remaining years of membership management, it’s no assure he would clear.
Put all of it collectively and the Padres ought to seemingly choose a lane. If one takes Preller at his phrase, they have already got. With a decent funds and query marks within the rotation, maybe they may keep on with Campusano and discover a function for him. However they simply completed a season throughout which they didn’t belief him to catch, regardless of needing clear upgrades there. Even when he was known as up, he didn’t get plenty of at-bats. That doesn’t bode effectively for him serving as a bat-first bench piece, particularly with groups normally preferring to have a little bit of defensive versatility from their reserves.
If he will get squeezed off the roster, he’ll be destined for the commerce block, the waiver wire or maybe he’ll simply be non-tendered later this week. If he does find yourself departing San Diego, he’ll be an fascinating change-of-scenery candidate. Maybe there can be some readability on his standing within the coming days.
Picture courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Pictures
